Cleaner and housing for the head thereof



T. O. RENDER CLEANER AND HOUSING FOR THE HEAD THEREOF Jan. 26, 1960 Filed Jan. 4, 1956 gig INVENTOR. THOMAS 0. Remus/a \SMITH, 0Ls1vaf Kom ATTORNEVS U ed Stat s P t n CLEANER AND HOUSING FOR THE HEAD THEREOF Thomas Otto Render, Pontiac, Mich., assignor to She- Bol Company, Pontiac, Mich., a corporation of Michigan This. invention relates to a cleaning housing for the head thereof.

One form of prior art cleaning implement includes a cleaner head formed or sponge or other water absorbent material, and an elongated handle element secured on thefclean'er head. The cleaner implement is utilized for such manually performed cleaning operations as the cleaning of 'toilet bowls" and bathtubs. f i

In connection" with this type of cleaning implement a problem has arisen by reason of the fact that the cleaner head tends to retain moisture, and after a period ofusage tends to coat "any article which it maycontact with water.

implement and f. I Ice had to the accompanying drawings forming a part of this specification wherein like reference characters designate corresponding parts in the several views.

In the drawings:

Fig. 1 is a perspective view of a cleaning implement and housing member constructed according to the invention, with the cleaning implement removed from the housing,

Fig. 2 is a sectional view through the Fig. 1 construction with the cleaning implement head frictionally retained in the housing, and

k Fig. 3 is a plan view of the housing with the cleaning implement removed for illustration purposes.

Before explaining the present invention in detail, it is to be understood thatthe invention is not limited in 'its application to the details of construction and arrangement of parts illustrated in the accompanying drawings, since the invention is capable of other embodiments and of 'being practiced or carried out in various ways. Also, it is to be understood that the phraseolo-gy or terminology employed herein is for the purpose of description and not of limitation.

In the drawings there is illustrated a cleaning element'l which includes a manually engageable member 2 and a cleaner head.3.-' Element 2 may be constructed ofany of the well-known rigid plastic materials. Element This condition is one which the present invention seeks to overcome and avoid.

Under the present invention a cup-like housing is provided over the cleaner head. When it is desired to use the cleaner element the cup-like housing is removed. The construction of the housing is such that it is frictionally retainedon the cleaner head so as to offer minimum resistance to easy removal. Since the cleaner head is inserted in the housing when wet itis necessary that the housing be of such construction as to allow air to freely circulate around the cleaner head and provide for its rapid drying. A problem arises in the construction of the housing by reason of the fact that the water absorbent cleaning head tends to swell or expand after continued usage. As a result the housing must be constructed to fit' the cleaner head both before and after this swelling takes place. Under the present invention the housing is constructed with a peripheral wall which includes a plurality of inwardly extending ribs. These ribs engage the peripheral edge of the cleaner head and frictionally hold the housing on the head. Because the ribs only engage the head at spaced points on its peripheral edge the head may swell from its original condition and still fit within the housing. The spaces between the ribs accommodate portions of the cleaner head displaced by the ribs. The spaces between the ribs are large enough to provide for circulation of air around the cleaner head, even after the head has swelled from its original size. Preferably, the ribs are tapered to allow for easy insertion of the cleaner head into the housing. Of course, the mere fact that the cleaner head engages only the ribs and not the peripheral wall also lowers frictional resistance and thereby contributes to easy insertion and removal of the cleaner head.

Objects of the invention are to provide a cleaner element and housing mechanism wherein:

(1) The housing may be easily and quickly inserted on and removed from the head of the cleaner element,

(2) The housing is of such construction as to allow air to freely circulate around the cleaner head,

(3) The housing is of such construction as to accommodate the cleaner head even after it has swelled from its original size, and

(4) The housing may be constructed as a low cost item.

Other objects of this invention will appear in the following description and appended claim, reference being Zuincludes a flat plate portion 4 and an elongated handle portion 5 extending at an acute angle from plate portion 4. Cleaner head 3 is formed from sponge or other porous, water absorbent, expansible-compressible material. Head 3 is secured on the face of plate portion 4 remote from handle portion. 5 by any suitable adhesive.

It will be noted that head 3 is substantially co-extensive with plate portion 4 in the arrow 8 direction. As a result it is possible by placing face 6'of head 3 against any suitable fiat surface (not shown) and compressing head 3 to expel water from the pores of the head through peripheral edge 7 whereby to partially dry the head. The manual pressure may be applied directly on plate portion 4 or indirectly thereon through handle 5. The substantially mutually co-extensive nature of plate 4 and head 3 insures that the manual pressure is distributed to all parts of the head and thereby insures that a maximum amount of water may be expelled from the head.-

A cup-like housing 9 preferably formed of plastic material is provided for releasable engagement with head 3. The purpose of housing 9 is to surround head 3 and thereby prevent any water in said head from Working olf onto articles which the head might otherwise contact. Housing 7 also serves to prevent the wet head from picking up dirt.

In order to dry head 3 it is necessary to provide for circulation of air around head 3 when it is within housing 9. For this purpose a plurality of ribs 10 are extended internally from the housing peripheral wall 11, and a plurality of ribs 12 are extended internally from the'housing central wall 13. It should be noted that ribs 10 and 12 are formed integrally with each other and with housing 9 so as to provide an economically formed housing structure. to circulate in the spaces between wall 11 and edge 7, and in the space between wall 13 and face 6, even if head 3 should be pressed into housing 9 beyond its Ribs 10 and 12 allow air tially within housing 9 before it c ntacts surfaces 14.

As a result the head may be easily inserted in housing 9, even after swelling of the head material as after prolonged usage. The diverging or tapering surfaces become particularly important after swelling of head 3 has taken place. Surfaces 14 frictionally grip edge 7 and thereby releasably retain head 3 within housing 9. Thus, the frictional engagement between surfaces 14 and edge 7 is sufficient to support the weight of housing 9.

I claim:

The combination comprising a manually engageable element; a generally disk-shaped cleaner head secured on said element; said head having an end cleaning face and a peripheral edge extending. from the end facetoward the manually engageable element, saidhead being formed of a porous, water absorbent, expansible-comp'ressible material which will swell from its original shape after continued usage by immersion in water; and a cupshaped detachable housing partially surrounding the cleaner head fabricated from a rigid plastic material; said housing including a central wall in registry with the end face of the cleaner head and a peripheral Wall surrounding the peripheral edge of the cleaner head, said housing being provided with a plurality of'spaced inter nal ribs, each rib extending substantially along the entire peripheral wall toward the central wall and then extending-for a short distance along the central wall, the peripheral wall portions of the ribs being inclined inwardly toward the central wall at an angle to provide for easy insertion of the cleaner head into the housing and to .4 provide a rib structure of decreasing diameter forfrictional engagement with the peripheral edge of the cleaner head to thereby releasably retain the head; said frictional engagement being of suificient magnitude to support the Weight of the plastic housing; said internal ribs forming interconnecting spaces for the circulation of air around the cleaner head and also to accommodate the swelling of the cleaner head.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 247,033 Fisher Sept. 13, 1881 382,925 Wilkening May 15,- 1888 430,434 Quayle June 17, 1890 693,305 Parvin Feb. 11, 1902 1,170,744 Fesler Feb. 8, 1916 1,376,239 Williamson Apr. 26, 1921 1,540,379 Weaver June 2, 1925 2,419,299 Tanner Apr. 22, 1947 2,466,875 Brandt Apr; 12, 1949 2,505,387 Dantzler Apr. 25, 1950 2,517,213 Kautenberg Aug, 1,1950 2,521,122 Lambouriiefgj' Sept. 5; 1950 2,678,635 Klagg'es et a1. May 18, 1954 2,817,106 Putz Dec. 24, 1957 FOREIGN PATENTS 811,142 Germany Aug. 16, 1951 1,111,855 France Nov. 2, 1955 

